Duffey proposed some rules that the others agreed to including playing only one night a week at local clubs, doing occasional concerts and festivals on weekends, making records, and keeping their day jobs. Duffey repaired musical instruments, Eldridge was a mathematician, Starling a physician, Auldridge a graphic artist, and Gray a cartographer with National Geographic. The Scene's first home was the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, Maryland, where they spent six years before starting weekly performances at The Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Virginia.
Bluegrass reached a second peak in popularity in the early 1970s, and the progressive bluegrass style played by The Seldom Scene was particularly popular. Duffey's stratospheric tenor anchored the group, but the vocal blend of Duffey/Starling/Auldridge set a new standard that attracted new audiences to what had been a niche music. Their weekly shows included bluegrass versions of country music, rock, and even classical pop. The band's popularity soon forced them to play more than once a week--but they continued to maintain their image as being seldom seen, and on several of their early album covers were photographed with the stage lights on only their feet, or with their backs to the camera.
Though the Scene remained a non-touring band, they were prolific recorders, producing seven albums in their first five years of existence, including two live albums (among the first live bluegrass albums). But the band's philosophy of not touring and maintaining their day jobs eventually caused some changes in membership.
In 1977, John Starling left the group to focus on his medical career, and was replaced by singer and songwriter Phil Rosenthal, whose song "Muddy Water" had been recorded by the Scene on two earlier albums. Around the same time, the group switched record labels from Rebel Records to Sugar Hill; however, while Starling had been officially the band's frontman, these changes made little significant difference to the band's overall sound.
The band recorded several more albums in the 1980s and firmly established themselves as one of the most influential bluegrass bands. In 1986, Rosenthal and Tom Gray both left the band to focus on other pursuits, and were replaced by Lou Reid and T. Michael Coleman, respectively. Coleman proved to be very controversial, as many purists objected to his use of an electric bass in what is an acoustic genre, but the albums produced by the band after Coleman's arrival maintained the traditional appeal of any of the Scene's earlier albums.
Reid left the band in 1993, and Duffey convinced former member John Starling to return to the band for the next year. During that year the Scene recorded the album "Like We Used To Be," but Starling did not wish to stay with the band long term. He was replaced in 1994 by lead singer Moondi Klein.
Throughout these changes, John Duffey remained the group's spiritual center and greatest influence, and his initial ideas about keeping a light touring schedule and staying close to home continued to prevail. Though there had been disagreements about this philosophy before, it wasn't until after Starling left for the second time that it cost the band a majority of its members at once. During 1995 and 1996, Klein and Coleman, along with original member Mike Auldridge, left the group to form a new band called Chesapeake. This new band became a full-time project for its members, and for a time the Scene stopped recording.
Duffey and Ben Eldridge, the two remaining original members, recruited resophonic guitar player Fred Travers, bassist Ronnie Simpkins, and guitarist and singer Dudley Connell to join the band, and the reconstituted group recorded an album in 1996 and resumed live appearances.
For 25 years The Seldom Scene remained extremely popular in bluegrass circles even with the near-constant personnel changes. But the band was dealt what seemed a crushing blow in late 1996, when founder and leader John Duffey suffered a fatal heart attack. The band again stopped recording and made no live appearances for some years. Duffey had been widely regarded as one of the most powerful and entertaining stage performers in bluegrass, and there was no one who could replace him.
Nonetheless, the band was simply too popular to disappear for good. Banjoist Ben Eldridge, the sole remaining original member and a significant force in banjo music in his own right, assumed leadership of the band. Former guitarist Lou Reid rejoined the band on mandolin. Initially the new Scene concentrated on live performances, but in 2000 the group recorded a new album, "Scene it All." The Seldom Scene continues to tour, and remains on the Sugar Hill label for future recordings.
The band currently consists of Dudley Connell (guitar/lead vocals), Ben Eldridge (banjo), Lou Reid (mandolin/tenor vocals), Fred Travers (dobro/lead vocals), and Ronnie Simpkins (bass/baritone vocals).
John Starling died in May 2019.
Discography
Act I (Rebel, 1972)
Act II (Rebel, 1973)
Act III (Rebel, 1973)
Old Train (Rebel, 1973)
Live At The Cellar Door (Rebel, 1975)
The New Seldom Scene Album (Rebel, 1976)
Baptizing (Rebel, 1978)
Act IV (Sugar Hill, 1979)
After Midnight (Sugar Hill, 1981)
At The Scene (Sugar Hill, 1983)
Blue Ridge with Jonathan Edwards (Sugar Hill, 1985)
15th Anniversary Celebration (Sugar Hill, 1986)
A Change Of Scenery (Sugar Hill, 1988)
Scenic Roots (Sugar Hill, 1990)
Scene 20: 20th Anniversary Concert (Sugar Hill, 1992)
Like We Used To Be (Sugar Hill, 1994)
Dream Scene (Sugar Hill, 1996)
Scene It All (Sugar Hill, 2000)
External links
Official site
Bad Moon Rising
The Seldom Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see those bad times today
Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
I hear hurricanes a blowing
I know the end is coming soon
I fear rivers over flowing
I hear the voice of rage and ruin
Well don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise, oh right
Hope you got your things together
Hope you are quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye
Well don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
Don't come around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
The Seldom Scene’s song “Bad Moon Rising” talks about an approaching disaster. The singer witnesses chaotic and devastating events that are set to happen soon. The “bad moon” in the song symbolizes the evil or destructive forces that are at work. The lyrics touch on the fear and anxiety that comes with the anticipation of the unknown. The ominous tone in the song portrays the hopelessness and despair that people feel when they are facing a dire situation. We can speculate that the song is either talking about a natural calamity, a societal collapse or even a personal crisis.
The chorus warns the listeners not to go outside, as it is dangerous and one’s life is at risk, hence, the “bad moon on the rise” is something they should be cautious of. Towards the end of the song, the singer seems to be resigned to the fact that disaster is inevitable and the only thing left to do is to prepare for it. The final verse implies that the events leading up to the disaster are man-made and that retribution is on its way. The song’s lyrics are dark but powerful, conveying a clear message about the consequences of our actions and the dangers that await us if we are not careful.
Line by Line Meaning
I see the bad moon arising
I perceive that there is a bad omen coming my way
I see trouble on the way
I can see that problems are imminent
I see earthquakes and lightning
I can already visualize the disasters of nature, earthquakes and lightning
I see those bad times today
I sense that today will not be a good day
Don't go around tonight
I suggest that you don't move around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
If you do so, it's likely that you won't make it alive
There's a bad moon on the rise
The natural or supernatural forces that afflict the world are at their peak, and it is dangerous out there
I hear hurricanes a-blowing
I can already hear windstorms coming
I know the end is coming soon
It's now obvious that the end of this time is approaching fast
I fear rivers over-flowing
I am scared that the rivers will overflow and cause damage
I hear the voice of rage and ruin
I can hear destruction and chaos looming
Hope you got your things together
I hope you have prepared yourself for the worst
Hope you are quite prepared to die
I need confirmation that you are ready to face whatever may happen
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
It seems as though nature is not on our side, and a storm is brewing
One eye is taken for an eye
People will attack and act viciously because they believe revenge is necessary for settling their disputes
Don't come around tonight
Only stay at home; going out will lead to your demise
Well it's bound to take your life
If you go against the warning and move around, it's very probable that you'll die
There's a bad moon on the rise
It's not a good time to be moving out because there are dark forces, and you don't want to encounter them
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John C. Fogerty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind